The Gentleman
by SupernaturalFanPerson
Summary: Ellie is a retired woman with only sadness in her life until she meets a young man named Sam. She knows nothing about him but befriends the stranger with the broken arm and no trace of a smile. Then she sees him at the hospital and learns his secret.


**My friend suggested I write a story from an outsider's point of view. So, here it is: Short and sweet.**

**Disclaimer:**

**I don't own Supernatural except in my dreams. I wish I was dreaming right now but I did the next best thing by writing a story about Supernatural! Enjoy! Please review if you liked it!**

I was on my way to Benny's at the time of the accident. It had become a tradition to eat at Benny's Diner ever since my son was 6 or 7. Now he'd left me and I was all alone, because it was a town brimming with young people full of life and who wants to spend their time with an old woman like me?  
>Anyway, I was at the intersection of Pine and Orange street when I heard the squealing of breaks coming from the opposite direction. I swerved and barely missed the vehicle, but the person behind me wasn't so lucky.<br>The horrid sound of the two cars making contact pierced the early morning silence followed by the sound of metal scraping metal. Finally, both vehicles came to a stop.  
>A man climbed out of one of the cars. It was a dirty SUV and seemed to have almost no damage to it. The other car was an old Impala, completely smashed on the driver's side, and although I could see two figures inside, no one came out.<br>The man in the SUV was already calling 911. The ambulance showed up in record timing and a policeman was ushering the onlookers back to their cars. Reluctantly, I followed suit and continued to Benny's, hoping with all my heart that whoever was in that Impala was okay.

Benny himself greeted me at the door as I entered somewhat later for breakfast. "How are you this morning, Miss Ellie?" He asked sweetly as I took my usual seat at the bar in the front of the small diner.  
>I sighed. "I'm okay." He didn't believe me.<br>"Ellie, you haven't been okay in a year." I sighed, beaten by the truth, and described the morning's events while he cooked up my eggs and toast without even asking for my order.  
>"Wow." He finally replied. "They'll probably be fine, though."<br>"Yeah, probably." I agreed halfheartedly.

Wednesday and Thursday morning passed without any word of the car wreck. I was still thinking about it though, the next day when a tall man entered the diner with the jingling of the bell above the door.  
>"Welcome to Benny's!" Benny welcomed with his usual politeness. The man just nodded his thanks and sat down a couple seats away.<br>"Can I get ya something?"  
>"Just a coffee." The young man mumbled, never looking up. I took a chance and glanced over at him. He was tall, with longer dark hair that tended to be swept over his ear from time to time. He had a cast and sling on his left arm. He could have been... twenty-two? Twenty-four?<br>Benny set the coffee in front of him. He mumbled a thanks and then looked up at my old friend. "Do you know any good mechanics around here?" Benny nodded and was about to answer when a clatter came from one of the booths as a hot tea was spilled all over the group at the table.  
>"I've gotta handle this, but ask Ellie," he suggested, glancing at me. "She knows everything there is to know about this town." Benny walked away as the younger one moved to a stool next to me, sliding his coffee along with him.<br>He seemed reluctant to start the conversation, so I did.  
>"Hi!" I forced a smile. He smiled back, but he wasn't happy. I could tell.<br>"I'm Ellie, what's your name?"  
>He hesitated for only half a second before answering, but it was enough to let any mother know that he's contemplating whether or not to tell the truth. "It's Sam."<br>"You're looking for a mechanic, right?" He nodded. "There's a really good one a couple streets over." I gave him directions and he thanked me before we both continued our breakfasts quietly.

It was Friday, so I came back for dinner. Sam was sitting alone in a booth by the window. I acted impulsively and joined him. He seemed genuinely surprised to look up and see me sit down.  
>"Hi." He said.<br>"Hi."  
>The silence of the empty diner seemed to blare loudly in my ears. We were completely alone. Even Benny had gone outside for something.<br>He looked up at me and I saw a look in his eyes I was all too familiar with.  
>I broke the silence.<br>"Who did you lose?"  
>"Everyone."<p>

It had become a pattern to sit in the window booth every morning with Sam. Neither of us talked usually, it was really just the comfort of having someone else there beside you.  
>Not to say we didn't talk ever. We did, but there was an unspoken rule that we only talked about happy things. It seemed the silence was generated from the lack of happy memories in our lives.<br>Last week I had begun to tell him about my son. Only happy things, like his favorite toys as a kid or something funny he said. But yesterday I began crying and begged him to listen. I told him everything about my son Daniel-the happy and the sad. About preschool and when he learned to read. His first day of middle school and his first girlfriend. I laughed. They went to a school dance and he came home hyper from candy and soda. His first day of high school and his last. About his new car and especially about how it was ruined on the same road of the crash on Pine and Orange last week (Sam stiffened). His trip to the emergency room that day while I was out of town.  
>"He hung in there for me." I cried into Sam's arm. "He waited for me to say goodbye." I told him about the funeral- only 6 months after my husbands.<br>He listened quietly as I finished my story.  
>Finally, he said sympathetically,"I'm so sorry." He put his arm around me.<br>I expected him to tell me his story. How he could be so pained and empty and alone at twenty-four.  
>Instead he just set some bills on the table to pay and left.<p>

Sam didn't come to breakfast the next day. I found that I was actually disappointed. I sat at the bar like I used to, but it wasn't the same.  
>I was walking out of the hospital room that afternoon after a brief checkup with my doctor after my small surgery last month.<br>Turning into the ICU area to reach the elevators I couldn't help but look in some of the open doors as I made my way down the white hallway.  
>I was passing one room when I thought I saw- no it couldn't be- but what if it was...<br>I peeked at the sign on the door:  
>D. SMITHSON<p>

Sitting in a chair with his back to me on the far corner of the room was Sam. A sickly pale young man was laying asleep in the bed next to him. Who could Sam be here to see?  
>Sam put his hand on the other person's, but moved it quickly with a start when I announced my arrival.<br>"Sam?"  
>He looked up at me. "Ellie? What are you doing here?"<br>I didn't answer. Didn't know how to explain watching him from the hallway.  
>The sickly man in the bed's eyes fluttered and opened. He looked around wildly. "Sam! Sammy! SAM!" Sam pushed past me and was at the other's side instantly.<br>"Dean! Hey, man. I'm right here! 's okay." he muttered. The other man, Dean, I guess, seemed to settle down at Sam's touch.  
>Sam totally forgot about me as he sat next to Dean. He occasionally said something soothing and calming. I watched from the corner as Dean slowly drifted back to sleep.<br>Sam sighed and watched Dean for another minute to make sure he didn't wake up. He looked up and seemed to register my presence all over again. I stared at him, stunned at this other side of him I'd never seen before.  
>"I guess you want some sort of explanation." He said.<br>"I'm curious, but you don't need to tell me anything."  
>He motioned for me to sit next to him. "No." He decided. "I have to." He checked on Dean one more time.<br>"First of all, Dean's my brother." I was shocked. Sam had a brother?  
>He continued. "We were in a car accident. A couple weeks ago. I broke an arm," He waved his useless left hand. "But Dean... He got pretty banged up. Something like three broken ribs, a concussion, and a giant gash on his side. That's nothing to us," He added. I didn't question how three broken ribs is ever nothing to anyone.<br>"But at some point the cut got infected and he got a really high fever and the infection is gone but the fever's still there and it's not getting any better. I lost Mom, my girlfriend Jessica, then Dad and now I'm just supposed to let Dean go too?" He was talking fast now and almost hysterical.  
>"In fact, the doctor says it might be getting worse and they say there's nothing they can do but they don't know what Dean and I do and I tried to call Bobby but he's out of town and I just about made a deal with a crossroads demon before I realized that Dean never would have forgiven me for that and I never pray but if for once God cared about Dean after all he's done for everyone and all the things he's killed to save people you think SOMEONE would do SOMETHING!" Sam sat back, breathless, and the room was silent, save for the beeping of one of the many machines Dean was hooked up to.<br>A single tear slid down Sam's face.  
>"Please leave." He whispered. I nodded.<br>I left the door open and as I joined the constant flow of nurses, doctors, and visitors I could once again here Dean calling for his brother:  
>"SAM!"<br>I never did figure out which was older...

I lay in the darkness in bed that night and couldn't stop thinking about Sam and his brother. Sam must have been delirious or something. I mean, demons? And who's Bobby?  
>Sam was genuinely worried his brother was going to die. I felt so sorry for him. He shouldn't be going through things like this. He should be at college with a girlfriend. Guiltily, I'm relieved his parents are dead and don't just not care about their son.<br>I fell into an uncomfortable sleep, dreaming of demons with sharp fangs and claws and big red eyes.

I got to Benny's bright and early Monday morning, itching to see Sam again.  
>"Hey, Ellie!" Benny greeted as I entered. I headed towards the booth but Benny stopped me.<br>"Your friend's not coming today. But he left a note." He handed me a paper with the name of some motel in the corner:  
>Hey, Ellie.<br>I may not see you for a while. Don't worry about me or anything, I'm okay, just busy. Dean seems to be improving, maybe, and I'll be staying at the hospital with him. It was great to meet you.  
>-Sam<p>

I was speechless. He couldn't even say goodbye in person? I felt sorry for him. I shook my head and headed towards the bar.

Four months went by and I was used to my old ways again. I sat at the bar and I rarely thought about the mysterious man I had met there what seemed like so long ago. I didn't even look up at the tinkling of the bell and the "Welcome to Benny's!"  
>Someone sat down next to me. I was too focused on my newspaper.<br>Benny was talking to the stranger and laughed at something he said.  
>Benny went to get a coffee for the man and he turned to me.<br>"Excuse me, do you..." We made eye contact and he stopped mid sentence.  
>"I-I'm sorry. Have we met?" He seemed confused. He was wearing a leather jacket and had dark circles under his stunningly green eyes and was accompanied by the occasional coughing fit or sniffle.<br>"Yes..." I breathed, barely audible. He looked even more confused.  
>"At the hospital. I know your brother, Sam. He was really worried about you. Really worried." My mind flashed back to the wild look in those same piercing eyes as he searched for the comfort of his brother.<br>Dean smiled. "When Sam said he had met someone I thought he was hittin' on chicks while I was on my deathbed!" He patted my arm and flashed me another charming smile that he was obviously very experienced with.  
>"I gotta say, you are way out of my little bro's league!" I smiled and hugged him. "It's such an honor to meet you."<br>The jingle of the door announced the arrival of Dean's apparently younger brother.  
>His eyes brightened when he saw me talking to Dean. He walked over as quickly as possible.<br>"I guess you met Ellie, Dean. I'm glad you two got to meet before-" I interrupted his sentence with a giant hug, muffling whatever he was about to say.  
>We all stood there with nothing to say. "Dean, we should get going." Sam finally said regretfully. Dean nodded.<br>"Benny? Get these boys some pie to-go." Dean's eyes lit up as he took the pie and Sam grinned at the sight of his brother happy and fairly healthy.  
>Both brothers hugged me one more time. "Daniel was a good person." Sam whispered as we hugged. "And so are you. Never forget that."<br>They walked out of the diner to a shiny, fixed Impala across the street. As Sam climbed into the passenger seat he waved one more time. I watched them pull away with a smile on my face.  
>Benny gave me a questioning look as the two young men left, but I would never tell anyone about what I went through with Sam. I helped him overcome his grief and he helped me overcome mine. I think I can finally be happy again, I just have to talk about the happy things, just like Sam and I did all those month ago.<p>

Remember the happy things.**  
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